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carlymb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Violence, and Cancer
helhas3letters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, Misogyny, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Cancer, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Death, and Racism
Minor: Blood, Classism, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Pregnancy
mpaterson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Misogyny, Death, and Cancer
Minor: Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Car accident
nadia's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed the variety and the themes explored and was intrigued by the setup of pretty much all of the stories. However, I'm left feeling like a little something was missing when thinking of the collection as a whole. I can't help but feel like I was on the verge of "wow" for a lot of the stories but then they fell short a little bit. I guess it's the common "I wanted more!" that I typically have with short stories.
I'm also wondering whether this would have been a better one for me to read in print. I listened to the audio and I think jumping in and out that way made it harder for me to remember salient details, especially with the novella at the end.
However, the writing is great and there were some real standout moments, especially in the titular novella. It's also incredibly thought-provoking on several layers. I was going to give this book a 3.75, but I think I want to round it up to a 4!
Graphic: Gun violence, Car accident, Hate crime, and Racism
Moderate: Cancer
camperhell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Cancer and Gun violence
1quillb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I don’t know this author or what they were hoping to accomplish from these, so I don’t know how to judge, but nothing really happened to anyone except in the last story. And the description/title of the book is, in my opinion, misleading, because it doesn’t have anything to do with the actual concepts in the book. I also didn’t really like how it was written, I found it confusing.
Happily Ever After: 2.5/5
Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain: 2/5
Boys Go to Jupiter: 2.5/5
Alcatraz: 4/5
Why Won’t Women Just Say What They Want: 3.5/5
Anything Could Disappear: 4/5
The Office of Historical Corrections: 4/5
Graphic: Racism and Hate crime
Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexism, Death of parent, and Cancer
Minor: Sexual content and Terminal illness
balladofreadingqueer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Many of the stories explore history and American race relations. Boys go to Jupiter examines a white woman wearing a confederate flag bikini, her run ins with the university diversity board, the hate mail (and support) she received. It also reflects on her earlier life, a close friendship with a black neighbour and her brother and her silence and responsibility for his death. Happily Ever After set in a titanic museum which considers medical racism and tokenism. Alcatraz explores familial history, desire to correct the historical record of an incorrect dishonorable discharge after her grandfather was falsely imprisoned.
Overall this story collection predominantly focuses on the stories of black women and addresses a lot of important and difficult themes such as white supremacy, death of parents and friends, breakdown of relationships, misogyny and how these women attempted to live their lives with joy and dignity in a difficult world.
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Car accident, Cancer, Death of parent, Hate crime, Misogyny, and Murder
arcookson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Cancer, and Car accident
Minor: Gun violence
cheye13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
★★★★★|Why Won't Women Just Say What They Want; Anything Could Disappear; The Office of Historical Corrections
★★★★|Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain; Boys Go To Jupiter
★★★|Happily Ever After; Alcatraz
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical content, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Violence, Cancer, Confinement, Suicide, and Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
All content is handled conscientiously and with intention.peachani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Cancer, Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Murder